Blood of Magic
by Absol Master
Summary: 700 years ago, the Sharenians fell. Now, all that remains of them is a great castle that they left behind. But it is cursed. All who have gone in have not returned, and no one has dared to enter since...not till now. COMPLETE.
1. Sunburst

I've redone the first chapter of my Guild Quest fanfic. It's more descriptive now, and a lot easier to read (I hope). More emotions too. Hope you enjoy it better.

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**.../.--… -- . .--.. -./ Blood of Magic \.-.. --. . .-.. .--…\...**

/-- .-…/Sunburst \.--… .--\

It was all over the news. The remains of an ancient civilization had been excavated in the eastern valley of Perion. It was believed to be the home of the Sharenian rulers, before some unknown disaster killed every one of them.

"Many teams of archaeologists have been sent into the site of the seven hundred-year-old Sharenian castle," the article read. "But not one team returned. The Union of Guilds has sent a notice to all guilds, challenging them to enter the remains and find out exactly what is going on in there. Hopefully, the secrets of this castle will soon be revealed. Meanwhile, the area has been barricaded from the public, in view of the unseen hazards inside."

Crystalriver read the article slowly, thinking. _I'll try this. Sounds like fun. _

A week had passed. Finally, Crystalriver had formed a new guild, named Sunburst. It had ten members.

Together, they made their way down to the entrance of the excavation site, under the cloudy, threatening sky. At the entrance, a woman in beige clothes stood, looking strangely afraid of the ruins behind her. When she saw the guild coming, she stepped forward.

"Finally," she exclaimed with a smile. "You're the very first guild to try. Do you really dare to go in?" She looked down, sadness crossing her face. "Do you really dare to risk your lives?"

Crystalriver nodded earnestly. "It's a challenge we've all decided to take," she replied, looking back at her guild. "We, Sunburst, have chosen to attempt to find out what is inside!"

The archaeologist nodded. "My colleagues never returned. I don't want to see more go in and never come out…" Then she smiled defiantly. "But I believe you will succeed. Good luck! Good luck, Sunburst!" With that, she swung the gates open, hope, deep hope, burning in her eyes.

As they walked, Distantlight looked around at the other guild members. All were no ordinary people—all looked strong, wielding the mysterious powers of their own job classes, powers that he so often wished he could own. Did he look out of place among them? It was such an embarrassment, being a level 29 Swordman, among these great people.

"There it is!" Crystalriver exclaimed, as the tallest points of the great castle came into view. "Come on!"

Excitedly, the guild followed as Crystalriver ran into the rock-strewn ruins of the castle grounds, where traces of fountains and sculptures lay around, smashed to unrecognizable pieces. Onwards they went to the gaping doorway. The door to the SharenianCastle.

Distantlight heard a sigh behind him, and he turned to see a Crusader girl talking to a Dragon Knight. "Such a pity,"Distantlight heard her sigh. He came closer, but she did not seem to mind. "I always thought that Sharenian was a just a myth. It was my favourite myth, and when I was young, I used to dream of the lives of these great people. They were so powerful; they had magic in their veins—they had two lives."

Bewildered, entranced by her tale, he came closer. The Crusader smiled. "But…who knows what happened?" Unshed tears were appearing in her eyes. "They just died, like that. All of them. Not one of them lived. That was what the myth said. But now…I know it's true. And that's why I came. Their tale was so amazing to me, and I wanted to know what really happened…"

The Dragon Knight next to her nodded with a sigh. Distantlight himself was almost crying as he thought about her story.

"At least your reason for coming's better than mine," he replied. "I came because I just wanted to see more of my homeland. You know…I moved to Ossyria, but I suddenly realized how much I miss Perion. So I came back, hoping I could see a little more of it, a little corner of my home that I'd never seen before."

"And what about you…" the Crusader said, turning to Distantlight. "Ah, yes. My name is Starfieldsky."

"I'm Distantlight," he answered. "I came here just to…prove myself, I think. I never seem to be able to do as well as the other Swordmen. And I was actually…embarrassed about being so weak. So I thought…if I make it through this thing alive, everyone won't think of me as weak anymore."

Starfieldsky nodded with understanding.

_And also to prove to_ myself_ that I'm not that bad, _he added silently. _I'm not really weak…am I?_

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So there's my first chapter. It isn't going to be what you expect it to be; it's more than just a retelling of the Guild Quest. Trust me, it'll be good in the later chapters!


	2. Amethyst

Here comes chapter 2, rewritten! Read and review!

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/.--… -./ Amethyst \.-.-.. -. .-..\

At the entrance, Crystalriver struggled to pull the door open.

"Let me try that," one of the Hermits said scornfully to her, pushing her aside. She fell, and stood furiously, leaning on a frowning statue of a lion as she rubbed her ankle.

Suddenly, the lion began to _move. _It shook out its sandy mane and stood up, roaring.

"Have I fallen asleep again? I cannot keep doing that!" it admonished itself.

Then, it saw Crystalriver, and its eyes widened. "Have you come to visit his majesty, King Sharen the Third?"

"Uh, yes, yes, we have," she replied. On her face was an expression of great puzzlement and amazement. Distantlight was amazed as well. Here was something from the ruins, moving and talking! How much it must know about the civilisation. They could ask it a thousand questions about the place, and find out what they needed to know…

_But I don't want to take a short cut. I'm sure the rest want that too, to fight, not to take the easy way out. _

"First, let me check you for poison," it said, eyes glowing white. The guild members glanced at each other.

With that, the lion gave a nod of approval. "Now," it commanded. "You must put on these earrings." Earrings immediately appeared all over the ground. "A huge guard spell veils the castle. Anyone stepping within it without my approval will die."

The lion had been asleep when they found it. Did that mean that the archaeologists who had come before had not put on earrings?

Maybe, that was how they died.

"Eww…Earrings!" he heard the same Hermit as before exclaim disgustedly. "I'm not wearing them!"

"You must, stupid Metalclaw! Unless you want to die?" a female Hermit shouted back at him.

"Easy for you to say," Metalclaw muttered, before clipping them on.

Distantlight put on his earrings as well.

"Soon, and maybe, I will take you meet his Majesty," the stone lion continued. "Only _maybe._"

_Does it know…that his master is already…dead? Does it know how long it's been? _

The lion's voice interrupted. "His Majesty is too great to be bothered by visits by mediocre folk," it boomed. "You must pass his tests first. Once you pass three tests, you will be allowed to visit him. And they will not be easy at all."

The Chief Bandit in their team grinned, raising his shiny dagger. "At last, a _challenge_," he said.

Crystalriver glanced around.

"Alright, we're ready!"


	3. Marble

Chapter 3 up! This chapter was **the hardest **to write yet. It's so hard to describe the statue puzzle! So if it's still confusing and you have suggestions, you may inform me, and I'll go edit it more. For now, this is the best I can do.

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/-- .-.-. .-../ Marble \- .--.. -. -\

The stone lion gave a roar, and all along the two walls on either side of the huge gate, many statues rose out of the ground and the parapets. They were definitely of a very old style, unfamiliar and striking, almost alien to Distantlight. _Yet…their style…why does it seem so familiar to me?_

"I will make four statues flash by teleporting next to them. Your guild members must hit them in the same sequence," it explained. "I will repeat this once you pass, but with five statues, then with six."

Distantlight looked up, attentive. This test was their first test; if they did not pass, they would never make it into the castle.

Nodding, Crystalriver began to think in silence. "We can only do this if we work together!" she finally shouted. "Two people will watch the two halves of the wall, and they will shout 'one' if they see the first statue flash. When the second statue flashes, whoever sees it shouts 'two', and so on. Who'll do it?"

There was a lot of chattering. Finally, the two Hermits stepped forth. One of them was Metalclaw, Distantlight recalled.

"We'll do it," they said together. The rest stepped aside as they waited for the lion to begin the test.

It was very sudden, and very fast. The lion appeared next to one of the statues on the female Hermit's side of the wall.

The two Hermits went on with the game as planned, the girl calling out "One" loudly. But suddenly, there was silence. Metalclaw was not paying attention.

"What?" Metalclaw shouted, frustrated, turning back quickly from the surroundings. "Luckstar, what's going on?"

The lion suddenly appeared nest to a statue on Metalclaw's side of the wall. It flashed brightly, catching him by surprise. Then, the gatekeeper returned to the base of the wall.

"Begin," it commanded.

Metalclaw and Luckstar took one glare at each other. Both did not remember a thing about the order of the flashes.

"Hey, it's not _my _fault, alright?" Luckstar yelled to her brother. "You weren't watching!"

They leapt down from their positions on the parapets, scowling.

"We should never have trusted the two of you to do it!" the Fire Poison mage yelled.

"Why don't _you _try?" Metalclaw retorted angrily. She glanced over to Crystalriver, who nodded. The two went to the base of the wall. The mage stood at one end of the hall, while Crystalriver stood at the other.

"Again, please," Crystalriver told the lion, who teleported away. Almost immediately, it appeared next to the statue closest to the Fire mage.

"One!" she shouted quickly. The lion vanished, only to appear on Crystalriver's side of the wall.

"Two!" she called. Then to another on her side. "Three!"

"Four!" the Fire mage finally shouted.

The lion returned to the ground in a flash. "Begin," it said.

The mage, taking the cue, raised her staff and struck the first statue which the lion had appeared next to.

"Alright, Crystal, I've hit One! Go hit Two!"

Crystalriver climbed up the parapets, which were just close enough for her to climb from one to another. She gave the second flashing statue a hard rap. "Now I'm going to hit Three!" she shouted, climbing down. She hit the third statue with her staff. "I've hit Three! Go hit Four!"

Hearing the shout, the other girl made her way right to the next and last statue that had flashed, and hit it. The whole group erupted into cheers for the two.

"Congratulations, you have passed test one. Now for test two—five statues!" the lion bellowed.

Luckstar and Metalclaw volunteered to go again.

"We'll do it properly this time," Metalclaw promised.

The two got past the test quickly, much to everyone's relief. Fireblood and the Chief bandit try next.

"By the way, what's your name?" Fireblood asked.

"Coldsteel, the one and only," the bandit answered.

Those two completed the second test quickly. Meanwhile, the others stood below, reading books watching excitedly.

The third test was by far the hardest, with six statues in the sequence. The Ranger, who was named Auralightning, and Crystalriver managed quite well, until Crystalriver accidentally hit the wrong statue, and they had to start all the tests all over again.

It was all very tiring. Distantlight had even volunteered to do it once, and had been paired with the Fire Mage, Smokywindow. In the end, the guild made it, and Distantlight had managed to learn all their names. The lion teleported to the gate, and the guild followed. With a huge creaking, it rose up, to reveal the dark entrance hall.

"Congratulations. You have passed the first stage of the tests. You may enter the castle and move on to the second test," it boomed.

"Yeah, we did it!" Crystalriver shouted. Everyone cheered. "Ready for the next one?"

Everyone shouted "yes" together, moods up again. Even Distantlight agreed that he was ready.

Then, they moved on. Deeper and deeper into the secrets of the Sharenian Castle.

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How was the ending? How was the whole chapter? Hope you understood it.

I'll introduce the characters' personalities slowly, and for now, you should know these few: Crystalriver, a born leader; Distantlight, who's always been different from others; Coldsteel, who loves violence; Starfieldsky, an avid reader; and the two Hermit siblings who do have the usual sibling arguments, but are still close.


	4. Steel

Sorry for the long time it took for me to update. Well, here's the fourth chapter!

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_The story so far: The guild has met the gatekeeper of the Sharenian Castle--a lion--who gave them a challenge to complete, before they were allowed to enter. They have finally managed to, and the gates are now open._

/.-.--. -. ./ Steel \.--.. .--…\

The first thing Distantlight saw, or rather, _felt_ as they stepped into the entrance hall was a cold human body. As soon as his foot met with the hardening flesh, he leapt back, chills racing down his spine when he saw what they were. _Dead people…wearing the uniforms of the archaeologists…_

At that moment, the lion roared loudly, and the torches all the way along the wall burst to life. Under the flickering torchlight, the bodies looked gruesome. _They _did _die from suffocation, _Distantlight thought, shivering uncontrollably.

Trying to ignore the bodies, the guild walked on to the next hallway, following the lion. No one spoke as they went, and the silence made Distantlight feel strangely afraid. Empty suits of ancient armour lined the two ruined walls. There were cracks in the ceiling, and a few chandeliers still hung loosely from the ceiling, tarnished with age. It was like exploring a cave that had been untouched for centuries. There was not a sign of life in the Hall.

"Here begins the second test," the lion announced. Distantlight looked up at the stone creature. "There are four spears hidden in the many rooms of the Hall of the Knight. You have to find them and replace them in the armoury."

"Where do we get them?" Smokywindow asked, glancing around. "And the armoury…where is it?"

"That, you'll find out yourself," the lion replied, freezing into a statue again.

"That lion," Crystalriver muttered. Just at that moment, she turned, gasping. Distantlight's gaze followed, and he realised what she had found—a door. Quickly, she ran over and threw it open. Beyond it was another room with three other doors.

"Come over!" Crystalriver shouted. The rest of the guild followed, crowding around in the tiny room.

"What's this?" Smokywindow asked, opening a door. Distantlight came closer and looked around. The room was tall, the ceiling invisible. In the middle of it stood a huge pillar. Above, lion heads shot beams of light out of their mouths at each other. And all around the room, there were ledges. There was no doubt about it. It was another puzzle.

Crystalriver went on to open the other two doors, and all proved to be similar on the inside.

"So…who's going to do them?" Crystalriver asked, turning. "This must be where the spears are hidden."

Luckstar volunteered immediately. "I've got to help the guild in one way or another," she explained. Crystalriver nodded approval, and she went into the open door.

"And since I haven't helped much, I'll do the second," Auralightning, the Ranger, said, running into the second door.

"I'll do the third," Risingfrost, an Ice Lightning mage, added, going into the third door.

"Now, with that covered, we'll…wait," Crystalriver announced, leading the remaining five to the centre of the Hall.

Distantlight glanced around nervously at the empty armour suits along the walls. He ran quickly from them, but accidentally crashed into another on the opposite side of the Hall. With a thunderous clang, it collapsed to the floor, falling apart. The helmet rolled away slightly, and the spear it originally held cracked a stone in the ground. Distantlight jumped out of the way just in time.

"Oops…" he mumbled, inching away.

Suddenly, Crystalriver gave a shout. She pointed to where Distantlight was. Turning, he suddenly noticed that a metal door had been revealed.

Looking along the wall, Distantlight spotted another door at the right end of the room. Seeing it as well, the guild leader ran over.

"What're these doors here for?" Fireblood mused. He dragged the first door open.

Inside were huge monsters that were made completely out of rocks. They stomped about noisily, banging their great fists on the walls as if attempting to escape. Thankfully did not notice that the door was open. Fireblood immediately jumped away, startled.

Distantlight was amazed. _More living things in the castle?_ Then, he corrected himself. _Not living. They're just walking stone statues._

"Muscle Stones…"Starfieldsky gasped. "How…"

Fireblood instantly charged into the room, starting to fight the creatures one by one. "Help me out, someone!" he roared out as he was struck by a stone fist. Metalclaw immediately leapt up and followed in.

Starfieldsky sighed with relief. "Muscle Stones," she said. "I've read about them before. They form when dark power fuses with the rocks, creating a master that begins to spawn Muscle Stones. Even worse are Dark Muscle Stones, in which darkness has been concentrated to a point when the stones become an invincible creature."

"Wow," Smokywindow breathed in amazement.

"But I really wonder what they could be doing here," Starfieldsky continued. "The Sharenians could not have made them. They mastered light magic, nothing else. I think it was something else. Something dark, something far greater…" Her voice trailed away.

_I wonder, _Distantlight thought, looking down at the century-old stones of the floor on which he stood. _Could something have happened here, that created these dark creatures. Starfieldsky did say that they just vanished without a reason…_

Slowly, the mysteries were unraveling. This was only the start, but Distantlight could already feel it in his heart. There was _something _here, still in the castle, and they would soon find out what it was.

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Keep reading...and review please!


	5. Shadow

Here's my fifth chapter! Sorry if I update too fast.

In this chapter, there is more revealing of the background, both of Sharenian, and of the main character. So I hope you enjoy, and I apologise for the length of this chapter!

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_The story so far: The guild has begun the second stage of their test. They have discovered a room with Muscle Stones within, dark creatures almost impossible to create. Now, they are just beginning to suspect that something is here, not just them._

/. -.../ Shadow \.-…\

"This door's locked!" came a sudden shout from the right end of the room. Everyone turned to see Crystalriver tugging at the door handle of the locked door.

"There's got to be something important in there!" Starfieldsky shouted. "Why else would it be locked?"

"We don't have any keys," Crystalriver called back.

No one spoke for quite a while. Only the sound of pacing about filled the hall.

Then there was a shout, as Luckstar came out of the door to the Jump Quests, cradling a long, ancient spear in her hands. It was made of red metal, the designs on the shaft intricate. It _had _to be one of the spears they were searching for,

"You're done?" Crystalriver asked, her mood lightening. "Good, only three more!"

Together, they sat on the cold stone ground, waiting. The floors were well worn, showing traces of the life that had inhabited place before they died, of the times when the Sharenians had ruled. While they waited, Starfieldsky continued to tell them about what she knew of the Sharenian Castle.

"Sharenians used to populate the whole of Victoria Island," she told the others. "They built lots of things. Most think that the discovery of Rubian caused their downfall. Rubian, the legendary gem, which gave the holder eternal youth. In addition to their two lives, owning Rubian would make a person immortal."

_How is it that she knows so much? _Distantlight wondered.

"But times before that," the Crusader went on. "No one really knows what happened then. Even the myth had a lot of missing information. When the archaeologists found this castle, the very castle of the Sharenian kings, they knew that it would be a wealth of information. Imagine! To know the land's past, what happened here even before we, the immigrants, came!"

Then she shuddered. "But...You know what happened to everyone who came in here."

Distantlight wished he knew about his past as well. He had never known any parents, or about where he was born. For as far as he could remember, he had lived in Sleepywood with the Rememberer, who had chosen to take care of him because of his abnormally high magic potential.

When one stayed in Sleepywood, within the ancient shrine, he or she never aged. The Rememberer had lived there all his life, and claimed to have discovered him inside the shrine when he had come to explore one day.

"Hey, we're done!" came a sudden shout from the same door. Auralightning had finished her Jump Quest, and Coldsteel soon followed. They both held the same spear as Luckstar's, burn marks on their arms, faces and clothes. But over it all, they looked satisfied.

"So, the three of you are done!" Crystalriver exclaimed, her excitement hardly containable. "Now, we only have to find the fourth spear, and the armoury! Where _are _they?"

"I think that somethingis trying to prevent us from finishing the test," Smokywindow said discouragingly. "I think that some dark evil has been residing in this castle since the time the Sharenians fell. It's what created the Muscle Stones, and what's making things so hard for us now."

"Do you mean that we might not succeed?" Crystalriver asked in reply. "That someone doesn't want us to succeed?"

"Yes," the Fire Poison Mage replied gravely. "It must be a being beyond our own strength or imagination, to be able to extend its power over the whole castle. It might even be impossible for us to make it any further! And who knows, maybe this whole 'puzzle' system is a way to make us go deeper into its trap!"

Everyone sighed hopelessly. This new rush of information confused Distantlight. Were these puzzles actually a trap? It had already killed many archaeologists. If they made it any further, would they find themselves pulled further into the web of death?

This was too much for his head to handle. Sitting on the freezing ground as well, he began to think about other things. Looking around at the armour, he felt a familiar shiver of fear.

Then that sight suddenly seemed to open a door in his mind. Suddenly, things began to flash over his vision, just ghosts, but seemingly so real. Screaming shadows, frenzied footsteps, people running for their lives, falling armour, and darkness, darkness pouring from a doorway, advancing on him…

Distantlight clamped his hands on his ears and shouted, "No! Leave me!" Immediately, the dark vision vanished and he was again staring at the complete suits of armour, panting with fear.

"You alright?" he heard someone ask from behind. The screams still echoed in his ears.

"Y-yes," he stammered. _A vision of the past. Not again! _This strange ability he had, of seeing the worst things in the past of a place, it had begun to scare him. Every now and then, he would see visions of people being killed all of a sudden, and would have to watch through each murder, helpless.

_What _was _that? Did that really happen here—_

A thunderous banging open of a door smashed the silence in the hall. Everyone turned, startled, to the source of the loud noise.

Fireblood and Metalclaw stood at the doorway that led to the Muscle Stones. "I killed them all," Fireblood explained.

"Yep, then we found this other doorway, which led to another room…" Metalclaw added. "And there were bigger Muscle Stones inside."

"Dark Muscle Stones?" Luckstar asked disbelievingly. "How'd you make it? You didn't die?"

"I avoided them with Dark Sight," he replied with pride. "And they couldn't see me! And look what we found." Then fishing about in his pockets, he produced a large golden key.

"This must open that door," Crystalriver deduced, glancing at the locked door further up the hallway.

"And I found one of those spears the lion was talking about," Fireblood added, passing the long spear to Starfieldsky.

Crystalriver, meanwhile, ran to the locked door. With a satisfying click, it swung open.

"Finally!" she shouted from that end of the hall. "This is it!" Poking her head in, she called for the rest of the guild to go there.

One by one, the spear-bearers entered, placing the spears on the racks over four huge armour suits. Each one flashed a glaring green as the spear went into the holder.

"Second test down!" Crystalriver shouted happily. There were triumphant cheers. Now, they were working like a real team. No matter what dangers awaited, they would make it through, and answer the questions surrounding this mysterious civilisation for once and for all.

The lion must have sensed that they had succeeded, for it had unfrozen itself again, and stood expectantly before them. The guild followed as it led them to the last door, on to the next hallway of the castle.

"One more test," it encouraged them. But somehow, Distantlight knew it did not end there.

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And so they enter the next stage. I edited the story a bit. The spears are supposed to be placed at the top of another four JQs in the actual game, but to make it shorter, I changed it.

Till the next update...


	6. Gale

Chapter 6! This fic is getting a really small number of hits, and a really small number of reviews, too. So please review! It's appreciated!

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_The story so far: Now, the guild has just finished the second stage of the test, and they have made it further than they ever thought they would. The secrets of the castle have just started revealing themselves, and it won't be long until the true challenges begin._

/-- --. -/ Gale \- -. .-.\

The guild exited the Hall of the Knight and entered a large room. The stone pillars surrounding it were crumbled, and there were large jagged holes in the ceiling. Ancient ceramic pots stood around the well-lit room, and at the centre stood a huge fountain. Water still pooled in its three bowls, though it no longer flowed between them. At the foot of the fountain were four statues of armour-clad men. Sunlight streamed brightly in from holes in the ceiling.

For a moment, a strong breeze washed through the room from one of the wide holes. To Distantlight, it felt like a reassuring reminder that they were still not disconnected from the world.

"What do we do here?" Crystalriver asked the stone lion. They were all already beginning to regain trust in it.

"This is the offering room," the lion said. "The fountain is magical. You must obtain four medals, four scrolls, four bowls of olives and four bottles of wine, and place them in the proper combination at the feet of the four gods' statues. One offering for each god. If you get it wrong more than seven times, the gods will send their wrath upon you." Crystalriver nodded thoughtfully, looking around at the guild.

"We're ready," she confirmed, turning back to the stone lion. Immediately, it glowed, and the scrolls and medals appeared on the ground around the fountain.

Then, a strange thing happened.

The wind began to howl, whipping up the little pieces of chipped stone on the ground. From the objects, black ghosts began to rise, like black sheets with tattered and frayed edges. A loud moaning filled the hall, and the wind was suddenly swirling around them.

"This…this shouldn't have happened!" the stone lion gasped. The guild members glanced at each other.

Distantlight backed away as the black things appeared and began to fly around on the gusts.

"Ghosts…Black Knights and Myst Knights," Starfieldsky murmured in the wind's midst, drawing out her axe. The ghosts began to pick up the scrolls and medals. Stricken by fear, the people ran, shouting for help.

"Don't fear them! Fight!" Crystalriver shouted, whipping her staff around in a spell. After a few hits, it sank to the ground, defeated. The medal it originally held fell from its body and rolled on the ground. The mage picked it up.

More ghosts were appearing from everywhere; they were teeming in their hundreds, moaning and swirling around. Distantlight was trapped, helpless, in the middle of the room with the fountain—the fountain! Quickly, he scrambled up onto the first bowl, while all around him, the others fought the ghosts.

Tearing his eyes from the battle below, Distantlight continued to climb, up onto the second, the third, till he was safe.

Then when he reached the top bowl and placed his hands on it, the reflections in the water suddenly began to change, to become more colourful. And he watched, stunned, as the images and sounds of the past showed within.

_"Get lost!" shouted a thin, skeletal figure in the water. It advanced on a richly dressed man with a crown on his head. "I will not follow the orders of a human, no even the king!"_

_"Ergoth…you were made to serve," the man replied. "You were made to follow orders!" He held out a staff. "If you do not do as you are told, I will be forced to destroy you!"_

_The thing laughed. "Destroy me…you always threaten that! But you never did that, did you?" Then, it reached forward and snapped the staff. "I'm not stupid. I've learnt your tricks. And I know it's time I claim this land for myself!"_

_The man opened his mouth to retort, but Distantlight knew he could not. He had lost all power over this creature, this Ergoth._

_Finally, he spoke. "I have…failed my nation. I shouldn't have made you…"_

_Ergoth laughed, rising up. "You can't stop me. No one can stop me!" he roared._

_"But it's my duty to make sure you don't ruin my country. It's all I can do in apology…you may leave your prison when someone comes to free you. Till then…"_

_Then, he gave a loud shout, and a powerful white energy rushed from his body, out his mouth, flying out through an open door behind him. At the same moment, he sank to the stony ground, dead._

_"So, Sharen III kills himself, for no reason too!" Ergoth laughed, floating through the door into the next room, the throne room. "He's even stupider than I thought!"_

Distantlight pulled his head away, too shocked to speak. Was this really what had happened in the past? How Sharen III had died?

Looking back into the water, he saw darkness washing through the room like a wave of wind, through the castle. People ran, but died before they could reach the doors. And the darkness spread outwards into the island.

At the heart of it all, Ergoth was sitting smugly on the throne.

But too late, it realised that it was slowly sinking into the throne, which shone with the white energy that Sharen III had created. Soon, nothing was left but a magenta shard of gem that had been at the core of Ergoth before. Rubian.

The image vanished, and only the reflection of the broken ceiling remained inside the water.

Distantlight looked away and saw that the Black and Myst knights were gone, and everyone was holding either a scroll or a gold medal, except Starfieldsky.

"Hey, get down from there," Crystalriver called to him. "We're waiting for you. And we still need to find the olives and wind. But first, we've got to get you off there."

Not wasting a moment, Distantlight jumped nimbly down. But he could not stop thinking of what he had just learnt. Ergoth had caused the Sharenians' downfall. And Sharen III had killed himself in order to stop Ergoth from continuing the damage it had done. Even so, he had been too late, and all the Sharenians had died, every last one.

Without realising it, tears were appearing in Distantlight's eyes. He blinked, and they were gone.

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Ending was lousy. I know that. Please review now! I need reviews!

By the way, my profile reached 1000 hits two days ago. That rocks.


	7. Gold

Finally, an update! I decided to update when this fanfic received 300 hits. I can't stand how few hits it's getting!! It makes me feel very lousy. So, here's the next chapter!

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_The story so far: Having discovered what happened to the Sharenians seven hundred years ago, the guild now moves further on in their adventure, hoping to find the root of the darkness and destroy it. But first, they must solve another puzzle._

/.-.-. .-../ Gold \- -. .--..\

"We've got to find the olives and wine now," Crystalriver commanded. "And someone must solve the puzzle."

Immediately, Smokywindow volunteered Starfieldsky.

"I—but…" she stuttered. "I don't want to screw it up…"

"Well, we've got to choose someone," Crystalriver agreed, passing her the medal that she held. One by one, the others stepped forward and passed their medals and scrolls. Soon, she was left standing with her arms full of the items, some almost falling out of her grasp.

Distantlight followed the rest of the guild members through the sunlit room, over the cracking old floor stones. At the same time, the images in the fountain's water replayed themselves in his mind. He thought of the dead people who had once lived in the very castle they were within now, and of that terrible dark servant of Sharen III's, the starter of it all. Even though it had been hundreds of years, the darkness was still deep within the stones of the castle. And they were inching closer and closer to the heart of it all every moment.

Very soon, Luckstar's voice came calling from beyond one of the old wooden doors. She had found the wine.

The guild gathered in front of the four statues, passing the bottles of wine to Starfieldsky. The olives were rotting, filling the room with a bad stench. While everyone was complaining about the smell, Starfieldsky took all the bowls, turning her head away from them.

"You have seven tries to give the right offerings to the right gods," the stone lion's voice called over to the rest. "I will give you clues as to which offerings are right. 'Incorrect' means that an offering exists, but is offered to the wrong god. 'Unknown' means that the offering does not exist." Starfieldsky nodded, seeming to ponder the meaning of its words. Distantlight himself wondered what he meant.

Finally, the lion said, "Begin whenever you wish."

Looking very nervous, Starfieldsky took a few small steps forward. She held up the items uncertainly and glanced about at the glaring, expressionless statues, constructed of grey rock.

Distantlight looked on tensely, seeing the restlessness in her eyes. "Go on, Starfieldsky!"

The Crusader turned briefly to him, face brightening with determination. She turned back to the statues and took in a deep breath. _You can do it, Starfieldsky..._

Placing one medal at the foot of each statue, Starfieldsky turned expectantly to the lion. "Two right, two unknown," it immediately said. Instantly, Starfieldsky's eyes widened with sudden understanding.

Next went the scrolls, one at each foot. Distantlight stared on at the objects, wondering if Starfieldsky had planned something.

"Four unknown."

He now glanced up at the lion's words, thinking. _That means that there are no scrolls in all the offerings._

Starfieldsky put the olive bowls down next. Everyone seemed to be getting used to the smell already.

"One correct, one unknown."

Distantlight stood straight. _I think I get it! _She was simply checking to see which items existed in the combination. After this, she would have to guess the combination.

Echoing his thoughts, Starfieldsky said to herself, "Two medals, one bowl of olives and one bottle of wine."

Shutting her eyes for an instant, for comfort, the Crusader then placed everything else on the ground. No one spoke; no one dared to speak. In her hands were two glinting medals like coins, a gleaming bowl of rotting olives and a corked green bottle of wine. Placing them in that order, one at the foot of each of the statues' feet, she waited for the lion's answer.

_Please, guess right, may the Goddess grant you luck!_

"Two correct, two incorrect," was the stern reply. _Good! Good! _Distantlight cheered her on silently. _You're almost there!_

Starfieldsky looked about, almost frantic, but concealing it well. Uttering a prayer, she closed her eyes and plunged down, reaching for the medal at the first statue and the wine at the third, switching them.

"Two correct, two incorrect." Still the same. Now, the Crusader was really beginning to panic. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the ceiling, seeming to search there for the answer.

Then, by a stroke of sudden inspiration, Starfieldsky immediately bent down to switch the wine with the medal at the second god's statue. Confidently, she looked at the lion.

Suddenly, its eyes began to glow. Distantlight watched fearfully. _Is it wrong?_

"You have given the right offerings to the gods," it boomed, rising from its sitting position on the ground. Its stone lips curved into a smile, stiff but sincere. Starfieldsky sighed deeply with relief, a smile spreading across her face. The rest of the guild applauded her loudly.

"Great job, Starfield!" Crystalriver exclaimed, giving her a pat on the shoulder. The lion turned to a door on the eastern side of the room, over which a bright blue seal shone. With a flick of its tail, the seal disintegrated into blue dust, and the stone door slid open.

"Now, you may meet his Highness," it said loudly, confidently.

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So that's it! Keep reading, and put on author alert, please! I promise that the ending will not be just killing Ergoth and leaving. There is a huge _twist…_


	8. Echo

This story just infuriates me. Look, 400 hits, and 15 reviews?? You know, people don't review if they don't like a story. Is this really THAT BAD?? Someone please, if this fanfic is that bad, TELL ME. Alright?? This fanfic's hit to review ratio is so LOUSY, and YET I am still posting the next chapter!! Alright, I know this isn't as good as all those great great fanfics you see up there. But I don't understand the stupid hit:review ratio!

**IF I DO NOT GET AT LEAST 4 REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER, I WILL DISCONTINUE THIS FIC.**

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/.--... -- . -/ Echo \.-... .-.-...\

The guild continued to follow the lion as it led them through the turns and corridors, towards the place it called the throne room.

Distantlight watched the doors as they passed by each one—well-carved, and still standing strong, as if they had not endured those seven hundred years buried underground. Again, the designs on the gold doorknobs and knockers, the carvings on the edges of the doors, struck him as familiar. Yet, he could not place it—Why did it seem like he had seen their design before somewhere?

"This place is cool," Metalclaw commented as he glanced about at the doors and the high windows of the corridor. His voice echoed down the seemingly endless passageway along which they walked, sounding terribly amazed.

Distantlight turned back to the lion's tail as it continued to pace forward purposefully, completely sure of itself. _It doesn't know…Sharen III is just a soul now, a memory…_

Shouldn't someone tell the lion about Sharen III's death soon? Were they going to allow it to find out by itself?

Nearby, he heard a small conversation going on between four of the guild members. He inched closer to catch what they were saying, hoping not to be noticed.

"…Kind of scared me, when those black things came out of the medals and scrolls," Smokywindow said to the other three.

"They weren't supposed to appear," Starfieldsky replied, seemingly anxious, eyes filled with sudden fear. "I remember what the lion said…they weren't supposed to appear. I don't understand what's going on…"

Distantlight looked on, suddenly understanding. Had that been caused by…Ergoth?

"It was because of Ergoth!" he suddenly shouted to them, realizing how everything had happened. The Dark Muscle Stones, the ghosts, the fall of the Sharenians—_that _was the reason for it all.

Now, all four—Smokywindow, Starfieldsky, Fireblood and Crystalriver—were staring at him as if he were mad. He probably did seem that way.

"Ergoth?" Starfieldsky looked at him oddly. "Who's that? You're not imagining things, are you?"

Distantlight shook his head vigorously. "Remember how the lion said that the fountain is magical?" he asked quickly, nervous under their gazes. "I went up to the top bowl of the fountain, and it suddenly started to show me the past, and now, I know how all the Sharenians were killed!" He stopped to catch his breath, while the others' eyes widened.

"Did it really…" Starfieldsky gasped, excitement suddenly entering her voice. "Tell us more! Tell us everything you found out!"

Slowly, Distantlight tried to conjure the images in his mind again, and he began to describe it all to them.

"No one escaped," he concluded. "Everyone on Victoria Island was killed. Sharen III managed to seal Ergoth into his throne, but he was too late to stop Ergoth's full attack. That's why they died."

The warrior soon realised that Starfieldsky was on the brink of crying. Slowly, he began to imagine the Sharenians of the castle, walking on the same floor as they were upon now, their voices echoing on the walls, just as theirs did now, moments before a great wave of black swept them away into death and oblivion.

"We'll release Ergoth, and kill him," Crystalriver promised, looking up ahead. "We _will_,because that's what our quest is about now. Not just finding an artifact for the archaeologists anymore."

Distantlight only recalled the original motive of their quest now, but he was so caught up with everything that had been happening that he had completely forgotten about it.

Five minutes of walking and ascending staircases later, the lion's tireless footsteps ceased before a tall hardwood door. Everyone looked up at its magnificent height. The glinting gold doorknob and knocker were more intricately carved than all the rest that they had seen before, and Distantlight could immediately tell that it was the door to the throne room. Somehow, he felt instantly like getting down on his knees to bow, even though he knew that Sharen III was already dead.

_Come on, I don't have to show respect to a dead king who isn't even a king anymore, _he told himself, waiting for the stone lion's next action.

The statue walked up to the door and flew up on its tiny webbed wings, using its jaws to knock the knocker four times.

There was no response. The guild members glanced at each other, all unsure of what to do. Coldsteel rolled his eyes at the lion.

"Your Highness! Some people seek audience with you! Master!"

Distantlight felt pity for the lion, believing that the one it served was still alive. He wondered, with some sadness, how it was like to outlive one's master.

"Master?" it persisted. He could hear the confusion in its voice.

"Sharen III is…dead," Starfieldsky finally explained softly. The stone lion turned, still flying. "He made…a servant who betrayed him…and your master killed himself to save the island."

Now, the lion seemed angry. It bared its two rows of canines, growling deeply in its throat. "No! My master was kind! No one would betray him!"

"But he was!" Starfieldsky shouted. "You must face the truth! Your master is dead!"

The stone gatekeeper roared with anger. "Insolence! How could you say such a thing of my master? He is not dead!"

"Then why isn't he answering your knocks and calls?" Crystalriver stepped up bravely, doing her job as the guild leader. "He has died. It was a noble death, but he is dead."

The lion looked up at the gatekeeper, blank stone eyes narrowed in fury, and for a moment, Distantlight expected him to attack the team leader. Instead, it simply landed on the ground, all spirit subdued. Its eyes were cast down in sadness, and for some reason, he understood how it felt, and shared in its sadness, for a moment.

"He hasn't been buried," the Priestess murmured to herself. "His spirit won't be at rest, until he is clothed and buried. Could I request…to bury him?"

The lion, now seated, nodded slowly. Immediately, Crystalriver turned to Distantlight. "Where is the body?" she asked. Distantlight tried to recall all the details of the images he had seen.

"O-outside the throne room," he replied, looking about. That was strange. Why was the corridor different? Why was the body nowhere in sight?

The lion now got up, footsteps heavy with pain and sorrow. "The path to the throne room is beyond that door," it said, pointing its stone muzzle to the great wooden door that it had tried to knock earlier.

"And his clothes," she went on, looking at the lion. "Where did Sharen III keep his clothes?"

"He had a set of enchanted clothes that kept out evil spirits," it replied. "That was kept in his storeroom. But alas, I cannot open the door." Crystalriver's face fell.

"I guess we'll have to leave his spirit then," she sighed, turning to the door with dread.

"But there is a way in," the gatekeeper cut in. Everyone looked at it expectantly.

"Through the sewage system."


	9. Water

I thought that this fanfic was not appreciated at all. Thanks for proving me wrong. You were (in order of reviews) HonestNinja123, Randomness from Boredom, within winter's grace and CrapPishh. Thanks so much for your encouragement! velocidrome and Crusad3r, I hope you are still reading this, though you aren't reviewing anymore!

Though it's only 4 people, and that's not much. I know this fic is not much either, so what do I expect? But thank you for the reviews, and to those who are supporting this, **you won't be disappointed! **This story does not have a linear plot as it seems to. You'll get it by chapter 10.

And bear with me, it's only 3 more chapters till the end!

There were many speculations about what a scene in a sewerage system would be like. Let me forewarn you that nothing funny will happen. The Sharenian Castle sewerage system is CENTURIES old, so all the…um…dirt is already gone. Ergoth cleared it all away.

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/.-- .--.. ./ Water \.- .- -. -\

A murmuring started among the guild members. There were some snickers and giggles, and Luckstar and Metalclaw suddenly burst out laughing in front of the lion.

"S-sewer—"Luckstar gasped, erupting into another fit of laughter.

"Sharen III sure has a good sense of humour," Crystalriver mused. "Why would there be any use for a toilet in a storeroom?"

"Hey, come on, it can't be _that _hard," Fireblood exclaimed. "I mean, look at what we've faced already!"

Starfieldsky shook her head at the Dragon Knight. "No, no, no, they're not scared, just…amused," she replied calmly. Distantlight did find it kind of funny, now he thought about it, nine high-levelled third jobbers crawling through an ancient sewerage system. _Well, nothing much could go wrong, _he decided to himself. _Just some dirt, I guess._

And so, the lion brought the noisy guild down the corridors, before it took a turn into a bright room, its marble-tiled floor gleaming with cleanliness. The place was well-ventilated, and light shone down from wide windows. The only view outside, though, was the dead courtyard of the castle, and the wind that came in through it smelt of rain.

"Hey, doors!" Auralightning exclaimed, glancing about. Some stood wide open, showing what appeared to be raised stone buckets on beautifully carved pedestals within the tiny cubicles. Nearby, Metalclaw stifled another gasp of laughter.

Ignoring everyone, the lion went to the center of the room and began to hit the floor tiles with its right forepaw. The click of stone against stone was followed by the muffled burst of grey-white dust, and a few hits later, chips of stone were flying out all over the place.

"Lion…what're you…" Crystalriver inquired.

"It's underground," it replied without pausing. "I require some assistance, humans."

Obediently, everyone surrounded the lion in the center of the latrine's white floor, including Distantlight, and the lion's efforts were soon joined by theirs.

Distantlight glanced about once or twice. He saw everyone smiling, sweating and working hard—and it seemed impossible to him that the guild had just been formed a few hours ago.

Finally, the hitting and sweating paid off. The last chips of the thinned floor fell away into the darkness, clattering at the bottom of the tunnel.

"More than a hundred pipes from all the different rooms of the castle converge at the Waterway," the gatekeeper said, stepping back. "It has just rained, so the passageways further on may be wetter than the one you are about to enter."

Starfieldsky glanced up at it. "You _know _that, even though we were under shelter the whole time?" she gasped.

"I'll go first," Crystalriver offered, walking carefully to the edge of the hole. Squatting, she put one gold-adorned foot in. As she lowered herself, there was a splash of water as she stepped into a puddle of water below. She proceeded further down into the pipe, until she was no longer visible.

"Come on," Smokywindow said confidently, ever taking on the role of leader whenever Crystalriver was not around. Agreeable, the rest followed her in, Distantlight the last in line.

After what seemed like an hour of crawling through the dark, stinking dampness, Distantlight began to notice a dim light ahead, silhouetting the superimposed figures of the guild members in front of him. One by one, they exited the pipe, and once Distantlight did, he saw the room that they had entered.

The ceiling was at least as tall as the castle itself. Lit by dim torches along the walls between gaping pipes, gleaming water poured from many of the wide mouths, reminding Distantlight, quite sickeningly, of people throwing up.

While the rest of the guild was staring about in amazement and terror, the stone lion resumed its speech. "One of these pipes leads to the storeroom," it said.

At that instant, a powerful screech came from above. The lion glanced upwards and roared. "Gargoyles! Have you been darkened as well?" it snarled. "Filthy guards of the Waterway! Of course you would have been tainted!"

Suddenly, gargoyles were swooping down from the ceiling and pipes, flitting around the echo-filled Waterway, their laughter ringing repeatedly from the grimy walls. "Ah, obedient lion gatekeeper," the largest sneered, pushing forward through the cloud of gargoyles. Its horns were longer, wings and body larger. "You've brought us our next meal! How thoughtful, we're starving!"

Distantlight suddenly realised that these, like the lion, could talk as well. But he didn't have a moment to ponder, for all the smaller gargoyles were suddenly descending upon them, clawing and shrieking in a flurry of excited wing beats.

Without a spoken command, they all began to fight for their lives.

They were held off easily by the other guild members, and the grey creatures slowly began to realise that he was the only one who was unable to fight back, with those weak swings of his axe.

"Kill him!" the leader shouted at the rest. Slowly, they turned and surged towards him together, wide grey eyes crazed with hunger. He was stuck. _Oh, perfect, this is it, this is it—_

Giving a sudden loud shout of fear, he squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to feebly hold them back with his hands.

And then, he did something he had never done before.

Magic burst from his hands. He did not see it, only felt it flowing from him in a powerful stream, and when he finally dared to look, the gargoyles were convulsing on the ground in pain. Distantlight looked down at his open palms, shocked. _How? _He was a warrior, not a mage. Yes, he had high magic ability, but he had never learnt to use it. So how had he done that? And to such powerful creatures?

Immediately, Risingfrost, the mage whom he had hardly spoken to, sent bolts of blue lightning at the stone bodies, and they all died instantly. One suddenly opened its mouth as it died, and out dropped a crumpled red cloak.

_Sharen III's…it must be! But why?_

Racing forward to pick it up quickly, he shouted, "Why was it there?" The cloak was velvety in his hands, red with gold trimmings.

"We were…hungry," the master gargoyle replied. "Desperate. That was all we could find—the only thing that survived the darkness."

_Well, it is charmed against evil spirits, why not withstand the darkness?_

"We soon found out that they weren't edible, and got stuck in our throats," it added. "So we simply hid them every everywhere in the castle."

"Hid them?" Crystalriver sounded shocked. "We must find them all, quick, everyone!" Instantly, the rest scurried through the ankle-deep water towards the different pipe mouths. Meanwhile, Crystalriver came towards Distantlight.

"Y-yes?" the warrior asked, turning.

The leader took Distantlight by the arm and pulled him over into a pipe, before asking, "How did you do that? Use…magic? Have you done it before?"

Distantlight shook his head.

Crystalriver took him deeper into the pipe. "That's really strong magic," she said. "It doesn't matter if you're a warrior, you have the potential to have such power. Why didn't you choose to be a magician?"

"I chose wrong, I guess," he replied sadly, suddenly regretting his choice. "I didn't know much…I lived all my life before that in Sleepywood…"

A high voice outside the pipe suddenly called for Crystalriver. She crawled out, but Distantlight decided to stay in the pipe and explore a little further in.

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Yeah, this chapter was the longest yet. They're getting longer, in case you haven't noticed.

Keep reading, and put it on story alert, please!


	10. Bone

This is **not **discontinued. I was working on Of the Dragon, of the Stars. So enjoy, and I hope you're still reading (well, if you read this message, you are).

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/.-.-… --. / Bone \.--— -- --. .-..\

Slowly, Distantlight crept through the damp and murk of the pipe, hoping that he would reach the end soon. The sounds of the battle behind him were gradually becoming fainter and fainter; the darkness now reigned as he traversed the dark tunnel, the air humid and warm.

Not a trace of slime or algae remained on the walls, though they were moist under his fingers. Was it that Ergoth's curse of darkness had killed them all off?

Light suddenly faded into being far ahead of him, up along the slanted pipe. The rays shone down through a grill in stripes, upon the grey rock of the tunnel, he soon realized as he neared.

Distantlight took in a grateful breath of air below the grille, before he pushed it out of its place and pulled himself out of the hole.

There was a huge bouncing purple thing before him. There were more, all around the room. And in the far corner, at least fifty feet away, he saw a cupboard, the door marked with nine roughly elliptical holes. Was it worth searching that?

Quickly, he took another glance around, planning the trip he would take to get past all these strange creatures. He raced through the first opening gap he could find between the creatures, and found himself surrounded. The monsters suddenly closed in on him, their purple bodies leaping closer and closer, threatening to smother him.

"Slash Blast!" he called out loudly, desperate to keep them off. He swung his axe around in a flaming red attack. They were knocked back, torn by the passing, ripping blade.

The warrior blinked in surprise. They were around his level! He could hit them.

"Power Strike!" Over and over, he attacked, fighting his way through the monsters to reach the cupboard. Some fell apart at his weapon, and let go of a strange oval object that resembled an animal's skull. He picked each one up as it fell, realizing that they were the shape of the holes in the cupboard. It went without saying that they were the keys to the wooden closet.

Suddenly, Distantlight was before the cupboard. Fumbling with the tiny skulls, he stuck one into each of the nine holes—they fit into them like missing puzzle pieces.

The door clicked and swung open. Then Distantlight found a huge golden object glinting brilliantly right before his eyes. The crown.

Snatching it up, he turned and ran back through the remaining purple monsters, and leapt into the pipeline, eager to return to the guild and share his finding.

"Great! We've got everything now," Crystalriver's response was excited, more than he had ever seen before. It had been her idea to halt their quest to bury the dead king, after all.

All over the Waterway, smashed remains of gargoyles lay half submerged in the water at their feet. They turned to follow the stone lion, leaving the broken bodies behind.

Again, they found their way through the corridors, back to where Sharen III's skeleton lay, bones pale against the grey of the floor.

Crystalriver had all the clothes in her hands. His body had to be sent off in the proper fashion. She began to clothe him, ignoring the fact that she was holding bones that once held the flesh of someone living. Rich red cloth covered the bare bones, gold adorned the pale skull. There was such irony in what Distantlight saw, but over everything, he felt pity the most deeply.

As Crystalriver laid the body down, the bones jerked in her hands. She let go quickly, the body falling lightly to the ground. And indistinct whiteness suddenly rose up around the clothed body, and there was a sound like a sigh all around the wide hall, and a wave of invisible power that coursed through the air. The blue seal over the gate at the end of the hall, the door to the throne room, broke to pieces in a shower of shining dust, and the door beyond was revealed.

Smile widening, Crystalriver ran over to the door and tried to turn the knob. She frowned in puzzlement, when she found that it would not open.

"No one enters the throne room without doing as his Highness orders," the gatekeeper said in a low voice.

"Not your rules again!" Smokywindow shouted. The rest dared not to move. "You _know _that your master is dead! You saw his body!"

It shook its head. "It's rule he placed," it replied. "To open the door—in the past, and still the rule stands—you must place a pair of earrings in the keyhole."

Crystalriver suddenly understood what that meant. "But wouldn't that…kill the person?"

It nodded sadly. "His Highness thought that it was the ultimate proof of worth of any group of people."

The guild leader glanced back at the members of the guild, in a dilemma. "I can't let—any of you die…" Her words were full of fear.

Suddenly, Distantlight felt as if all their eyes were boring into him. Him, the low-levelled one, the one who could do nothing should they face Ergoth…

He stepped forward. "Let me do it." He shook his head at their protests and walked to the door. It was for the guild, for the vengeance of the Sharenians, for the purging of darkness from the castle.

Fast as he could, he pulled the earrings off and stuffed them into the keyhole below the doorknob. It clicked in satisfyingly.

Then he tried to breathe once more. It came suddenly. Nothing entered his lungs, not a drop of air, life-giving air. His instinct took over, and he began to thrash with his arms, falling upon the floor, the world spinning about him, growing dimmer, dimmer, the pain closing in on his skull as he fought helplessly for air, for life…

Everything darkened. And suddenly he was free, free of life's burdens, alone on his way to the world of the dead.

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Cliffhanger! Reviews, please.


	11. Mist

This is the second last chapter. I suggest you read the rest of the chapters all over again before reading this. You might have forgotten some details that might be important here.

And so here comes the revelation…

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/.--... .--—/ Mist \.-... .-.. -.\

Distantlight stood. He had landed on the ground in some foreign, inhuman place—the first thing he had seen was a grey sky with none of the features he was used to. And despite his hard landing, he had not felt any—_pain?_

He surveyed the scene even more. Below the grey sky, everything looked bleak. Another person walked through the gates behind him as he looked down the path; an old man.

So this was the world of the dead. He was dead at last.

Thinking vaguely of the world above this one, and of the guild he had left behind, he wondered if they were now battling the great monster called Ergoth that he had feared so much before, but now hardly cared about, as much as everything else.

The warrior had heard a voice. He turned to the path and saw a woman running towards him—a young woman who looked like she came from a foreign place. Certainly not El Nath or Ludibrium; she looked…simply different.

But that was not the most of his thoughts at the moment. The woman was calling his name. But which dead person would know his name?

"Distantlight! You've really come!" Distantlight stood, frozen to the ground, mouth wide. She came nearer, until they were face to face, and she gazed deeply into his eyes.

"I felt right," she whispered, smiling. "I knew it. You're here now! I don't know if you even remember my face; it was so long ago…I'm your mother, Distantlight! My name is Shakantria." She paused. "You will go soon, won't you? I should say all I can now."

The name was the strangest he had ever heard before, but like her accent, it was nothing like those from El Nath, Ludibrium, or any other place in the world.

"Mother," he quickly replied, realizing that now, he could finally find out how he came to be alone in the world, how old he was, what had happened to his parents. "What really happened to you, to me?"

"Son…it wasn't a choice I made," she answered, sadness tinging her voice. "It was so scary, that moment…it was so powerful, so—dark…But I hid you, hid you deep in the holy shrine at the centre of the forest, where the darkness could not touch you. You can't have remembered anything; you were so young then…"

She shut her eyes for a few seconds before going on. "I had to save you. But I couldn't save myself. It took both my lives at once. But you lived on, didn't you?" She smiled, ignorant of the puzzlement that was crossing his face.

"_Both _your lives? What do you mean?"

Shakantria, his mother, shook her head lightly. "I can't believe you don't know even this. Does that mean that all of us have died already? Let me tell you how I died. I was Sharen the Third's servant till my death. I was collecting herbs for the kitchens then, when—"

She was a Sharenian. Slowly, it came to dawn upon him that _he _was a Sharenian as well. Impossible.

Immediately, Distantlight stepped forward. "I'm—a Sharenian?" he gasped, not sure if it was true, not sure if he what he heard was real. It was really too much for him to believe.

And yet again, it explained so much. It was why he was so different from everyone else, why he still felt respect towards Sharen III, why he found the architecture style of the Sharenian Castle so familiar…

Then he realized something, guiltily. "Then…I shouldn't have given up my life so willingly…I was the last…"

To his shock, she didn't look worried or perturbed. "That's where you're wrong," she answered simply. "You have a second life, like all Sharenians. Though our nation has died, your blood has not. You may return through the gate."

Distantlight gasped again, turning back to the gate. A group of men came through it, all wearing puzzlement on their faces.

Hadn't Starfieldsky said something like that? _"They were so powerful; they had magic in their veins_—_they had two lives." _So it was true. Perhaps it might work...

Behind him, Shakantria's voice stirred again. "Go on now, it won't be as hard as it might look."

The warrior closed his eyes and opened them again, his nonexistent heart beating fast all the same. Then he whirled around, gave his mother a last embrace, and ran off, the sounds of her farewell echoing after him, up the path, his footsteps seeming to fly through the air.

One step through the gate, and the rush of unworldly wind rose again, around him, lifting him up towards the world of the living once more, back to the Sharenian Castle, back to the battle that awaited.

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So…thank you, all of you who have been reading. The next chapter is the last, and I hope you look forward to it.


	12. Dusk

It's finally here! I had lots of fun writing this.

And it's finally done.

For all my faithful reviewers, thank you. Here's the fruit of your patience (or maybe not, depending on what kind of stories you like). All the action is in this chapter.

I suggest you recap by reading all the other chapters first. But you don't have to. Just **enjoy.**

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/.-.-... . --—/ **I** Dusk \—-- .--...\

Distantlight blinked and stood. He tried to breathe, but not a drop of air reached his lungs.

_The earrings! _He stood up and ran to the door, breath held, grabbing the two purple gems from the keyhole and clipping them on his ears. Immediately, he breathed in, the air refreshing as a drink of water.

Then he moved his arms and took a step forward. Joy suddenly overtook him and he ran on through the door, which hung ajar.

He was alive! His mother had not been lying. He was a Sharenian, and he did have a second life. And now, he knew everything. All the secrets, of his past, of the Sharenians', of what had happened. How glad the archaeologists would be to know what he did!

But they would have to get out first…if it was even possible.

There was a sudden chorus of screams from before him. Distantlight looked up.

"Distantlight? Is that…you?" Smokywindow shrieked.

"Are you a ghost?" Crystalriver asked timidly.

Distantlight laughed. "No!" he shouted excitedly, impatient to tell them everything. "I'm alive!"

"But…you—died, didn't you?" Metalclaw replied with a gasp.

The warrior went forward. "It's a long story," he explained. "I—came back to life."

"How?" everyone asked in unison, turning to him.

Distantlight had been waiting for the question. "I…I know it's hard to believe…but when I went back, I finally met my mother again," he replied. "And she told me what really happened…" He breathed in deeply. "I'm a Sharenian. I have a second life."

Everyone began talking at the same time, glancing over at him and resuming their conversations.

"But how? They lived only till seven hundred years ago," Starfieldsky replied, amazed, eyes wide with shock. "We all have the blood of immigrants from Southperry and El Nath!"

"My mother said that I'm the sole survivor," he answered, feeling like crying for his family and the friends he had never known, all of a sudden. "All my relatives, distant and close, died. They were killed by Ergoth."

"So now, let's kill it!" Luckstar shouted spiritedly. The rest answered in agreement, and Distantlight smiled for them.

Crystalriver walked towards the rock throne, now covered in dust, a knight and a lion statue silent on each side. Brushing the dust away from the throne, she uncovered a large magenta gem at its seat. It was right where it had been when Distantlight had seen it in the fountain, glinting in the dim light from the high windows.

"Rubian?" Starfieldsky whispered, turning away from Distantlight. "The gem they used to make Ergoth."

Silently, Crystalriver extended a shaking hand to pick it up.

All at once, blackness began to rush out of the throne, never stopping. Crystalriver took a startled step backwards as the black mist grew thicker around them, feeling vile on Distantlight's skin. Within the darkness, a voice roared with triumph.

"Free…finally!" he shouted. "I shall continue what I haven't finished. No ruler will stop me!" The mist cleared, and they all saw the creature for what it was. A red-cloaked skeleton wielding a staff with an animal skull adorning it, eyes glowing maliciously red under the cathedral-like atmosphere. The silence was shattered.

Distantlight knew that this battle would have to come. Now it had.

The mage quickly recovered from her shock. Looking bravely up at the hooded black figure on the throne, she yelled, "Now! Attack!"

All at once, thick black mist began to pour from Ergoth's hands, and bright sparks and flashes simultaneously went off with shouts of command, as the rest of Sunburst began to fire spells and arrows at Ergoth. In the fog, Distantlight found it hard to breathe. As he gasped for air, he heard many screams and shouts. Dark shards were shooting through the air at the rest, and Distantlight was just managing to stay out of their way.

The black fog thinned, and Distantlight registered the situation in the blink of an eye. One or two of the others lay, badly wounded on the stone, while Crystalriver continuously raised her staff to heal them repeatedly, harming the traitorous monster with light at the same time.

Around Ergoth, the dormant statues had come to life, two lions and two knights. They, too, were attacking, powerful spells flying from their swords and mouths at the ten guild members.

Smokywindow shouted a command to attack once more, and the roars and sizzles of magic and power rose, the fire poison mage contributing four fireballs to the barrage. Smoke rose to mix with the dark mist, Ergoth defending with his staff. Fireblood and Starfieldsky, the two other warriors in the guild, ran straight up to Ergoth and began to strike him with their weapons. Risingfrost, Smokywindow, Auralightning and the three thieves attacked with all the power they could muster.

Yet, it was a losing battle, a losing game against Ergoth. He kept attacking with blasts of dark magic, and they looked close to death already, exhaustion showing in their eyes.

The ranger suddenly glanced upwards, running to safety behind a pillar adjacent to Distantlight's. His gaze followed hers, and he realised what she was eyeing. A huge chandelier hung over Ergoth's head, swinging slightly with every bang from below, the wide gold rings supporting the dozens of candles obviously heavy.

Then he noticed the long chain that led to the balcony on the left wall of the room, towards which there was a ladder. Before Distantlight even had time to turn, Auralightning had shot off towards the balcony without a second thought.

There was a burst of stone dust all around, and gargoyles, not unlike the ones in the Waterway, suddenly rose from the ground, given life by dark spirits. They flew around in a frenzy, ready to devour whatever they could, including human flesh. Distantlight drew breath between his teeth and turned away.

Suddenly, the entire battle seemed to freeze. There was the sound of a chain clattering in its wheel as the chandelier was suddenly released by Auralightning, and it descended, glittering in the dim sunlight, through the air, down towards Ergoth. He only turned its head upwards in time for it to crash down on his skull in what seemed like a death-delivering blow. The golden rings crashed to the ground with a sound like thunder, and candles fell from their holders, rolling across the stone, wax scattered everywhere.

Ergoth was not that easily downed. Distantlight groaned. What had he expected of a perfect servant made by the Sharenians?

His fellow citizens, he realised with some guilt and pity for them. They had been the creators of the one that had killed them off.

The gargoyles zipped past him, screaming their hunger for human flesh, real food, and Distantlight quickly leapt away, into the shadow of the pillar. The ladder at the balcony fell away as they swarmed around the rest of the guild, and Auralightning, at the top, suddenly found herself trapped.

Then she shut her eyes and climbed over the railings, leaping nine feet from the balcony towards the ground, to rejoin the battle. She screamed, eyes shut.

_Aura! You shouldn't have—_

He called out to the ranger in terror as she fell to the ground with a sudden yell of excruciation that only belay what she felt. Starfieldsky suddenly fled past to his side.

"You can save us," she whispered quickly. Distantlight turned to her, then looked back at the battlefield beyond the dark row of pillars. Smokywindow descended below a mass of tiny grey gargoyles, before they were blown apart by a blast of flame. None surrounded the throne anymore; the stone creatures were proving too much to handle for the moment.

Starfieldsky's urgent voice brought his attention back. "You just might turn the tables. The Sharenians were masters of light magic. It was in their blood, whether they practiced or not. You _must _try to do it again, what you did with the gargoyles just now."

"—Alright, I'll try…" her replied uncertainly. Closing his eyes, he tried to muster up the energy he had felt earlier, but he simply could not manage the move again, no matter how hard he searched within himself for that well of bright energy. "I—can't!" he shouted, worried all of a sudden. Where had it gone?

He felt useless, all of a sudden. He should have been able to do what all Sharenians could, but no—he was weak, as he always had been.

"Never mind," the Crusader sighed hopelessly. "I was just hoping…Don't worry about anything. We'll take care of it all."

She turned back, axe rising in her hands, before running into the field of chaos. Almost instantly, a shard of black stone flew from Ergoth's staff as she appeared from the shadows, tearing her neck like a razor. She fell to the ground and let out a scream, collapsing, blood pouring from the gash in streams.

"Starfield!" Distantlight shouted, running as fast as she could to her side.

The fight raged on, but everyone was weakening fast. The statues, somehow, had fallen, downed by the force of Sunburst's attacks. But Ergoth stood high and tall and dark, almost unwounded. He did not stop his continuous stream of attacks and spells, and every second, Distantlight could feel them inching closer to defeat. He was winning, and he knew it.

_I don't want to sit around and watch anymore, _Distantlight thought angrily. _I've been doing that all my life. It's time I helped them!_

Still completely uninjured, the only one in this state, Distantlight ran, eyes blazing with fury, to the dark figure on the throne, and swung out the axe he held. Immediately, Ergoth turned and threw him off his feet with a sweep of his staff.

Distantlight was sent sprawling on the floor, axe falling just out of his reach, knees hurting, head throbbing with unbearable pain from hitting the stony ground. He rubbed the point where his skull had been injured. Ruby rivulets ran down his palm. Blood.

The ghostly figure laughed over him, scornful, turning to watch the guild as it suffered before his dark power.

He hesitated suddenly, and turned back to Distantlight again, dark eyes narrowed in fury.

"You are—a Sharenian." The anger was barely restrained, darkness boiling in every tone of its unworldly voice. "_How did you escape?"_

Suddenly, Distantlight did not feel afraid, angry with memory of every vision he had had of the past, angry for all his mother had told him. "My mother saved me from you because she loved me. But you killed her," he shouted in reply. "Killed _everyone. _She hid me where even your dark power could not reach me, but didn't live either."

Ergoth's eyes flared up a fiery red, and dark mist swelled around its body. "Then I shall finish my job!" it roared. "After I finish you and your tiny little team of attackers, I'll finish the entire island and claim what I have wanted, for _seven hundred years!_"

Just as it had suddenly left, fear came rushing back into Distantlight in a drowning torrent. He suddenly realised that the mist had thickened around him, to something _beyond _mist, into a fog that was tangible. He tried to turn and run, but the darkness held his body fast, and began to surround him, engulf him, and he knew this was how it had been for the Sharenians as they had died. Slowly, he felt the energy of his second life waning...

But midway between the two worlds, he felt a strange heat surrounding his body. He heard screams and cries from both sides of his pathway, from the living and the dead, calling for him to stay alive.

The warrior looked down, and saw a thousand white, ghostly figures, standing all across the white plain of their world, holding out their hands to him, energy pouring from their palms at his half soul.

_What are they doing..._

"You must stay alive!" one called out to him desperately. The rest cried out, and the stream of energy grew stronger, in their bid to keep him out of the world of the dead, in the world of the living. "Continue our country! Let if live on in the humans' blood! Please, we have all our hopes, all our future, resting on your shoulders!"

Then he was suddenly returned to his body, amidst the stranglign black fog.

And he was glowing with magic.

Around him, the shadows were suddenly dispersing in the light of his soul, vanishing. Energy was gathering at his fingertips all of a sudden, at his hands. He immediately raised them and looked back at Ergoth, vengeance burning in his eyes. The ghost had his eyes wide in shock.

"You will die too, Ergoth!" he yelled. "And I will continue my nation!"

Then magic sprang from his extended hands and whooshed outwards, through the darkness, towards its source. He was filled with pure bright magic, the magic he had sought and held within himself so long but never known, so strong he could not quell its powerful flow.

The white beam hit Ergoth. Rings of white entwined themselves around him, and melted his blackness away like fire.

And in a moment, he was gone. Ergoth was dead. The guild had won.

**II **Sunrise

Distantlight collapsed to the ground, exhausted beyond compare. But all he could think was, _we did it. Ergoth's gone for good...at last, after so many centuries. _Relief flooded through him, like a splash of water.

One by one, faces came into his vision. First, Crystalriver's with concern on her face, and at the same time, pride. Then Starfieldsky, who smiled as if it were the best day of her life, even despite the huge gaping wound on her neck, beyond Crystalriver's healing ability.

Auralightning. She came with a limp, but her smile was strung and unstrained. The two hermits, looking on into his face with mild surprise and amazement. Coldsteel, scarred in a hundred places but still happy. Satisfied. Fireblood, scars torn across his forehead and neck, just like the others, face not showing any trace of sensing the pain from the wounds.

Risingfrost and Smokywindow, the two mages, their eyes full of tears, of pain, of suffering, and of final victory.

"Well done," Crystalriver said, helping him stand. "You killed Ergoth. You won the battle for us!"

"But if all of you hadn't been there, I would have died," he replied weakly. Trying to make sense of the turn of events, he remembered the souls of the dead Sharenians, longing for vengeance, and for their race to stay alive. _They saved me, _he thought, _And I will repay them._

Then, in his mind, he heard a somewhat familiar, though distant, voice echoing around him. The others were still talking about the battle, not seeming to notice the voice. Wondering, Distantlight looked up and listened.

"So, my sacrifice was of some purpose after all. It kept you safe," it said. "You have done well, Distantlight, the last of the nation which I allowed to die."

Sharen III. He knew that voice now, and he smiled.

There was a lot of joyful chatter as the guild returned through the corridors of the Sharenian Castle, suddenly seeming so much friendlier than they had been before, every banner and carpet and slab of stone meaning more to Distantlight than he had ever thought earlier. This was the place where his mother, Shakantria, had walked, lived, breathed, laughed...

Trying not to think about what happened those seven centuries ago, the warrior continued to follow the lion gatekeeper's footsteps. Close by, Crystalriver held the shard of Rubian, which she examined thoughtfully as they walked. She intended to present it to the archaeologists as proof of their theories later, and also to tell the entire story of how everything had happened.

"Did you see what Distantlight did just now?" Luckstar said to the others. "He killed Ergoth with _magic!"_

Distantlight inched away. But he could not help but freel an immense satisfaction at the gfact that they had won the battle. He would remember this journey for a long time. He had discovered so much, so much in its course...

Once at the pair of ruined doors, they turned to the stone lion.

"Thank you for telling me everything," it said, bowing. "But I must continue to guard the place. I'm quite sure that's what my master would want..." There was a tinge of sorrow in its voice, but it was quickly lost in its next line. "And I won't fall asleep again, lest the same thing happens..."

Then, as it took its place by the doorway, it froze into stone again, Sharen III's faithful gatekeeper till the end. It looked exactly as it had in the beginning, except now, a contented smile was spread across its face, no trace of its original frown remaining.

The guild exited the grounds. Distantlight took one more glance back at the castle that stood in ruins behind. Perhaps, if everything had been different, if Sharen III had not created Ergoth, he would be long dead in a Sharenian grave, and his people would still be living in that castle, just as they had before, celebrating with their bountiful banquets. Then maybe, all his friends in Sunburst wouldn't be here, but in Southperry, El Nath and Orbis, where they had originated.

But Time had chosen for things to be this way. It wasn't much worse or better than what it would have been otherwise, but the only difference was that he was alone in this world, the sole carrier of his nation's blood.

You...you survived!" The archaeologist at the gate to the excavation site gasped, turning as Crystalriver hailed her. "How? What happened in there?"

She was smiling for them, glad that someone, at last, had survived, and could tell her what was inside. Crystalriver began to recount the entire adventure in the Sharenian Castle, and in the course explaining what had happened to the Sharenians, and how they had died.

"That's an amazing story," she replied with a gasp. "It would make a perfect party quest—no, a guild quest. The first guild quest, in memory of you, Sunburst!" Crystalriver smiled with pride and gladness.

"And here's some of the Rubian you should know about," the leader added, presenting the shard to her, rendering the woman speechless. Hurriedly, the archaeologist ran back to the rest of the archaeological team with the good news.

"Well," Starfieldsky said, turning her gaze from them. "Here, we part, I guess. But I won't forget this, it was so memorable..." Tears were running down her cheeks, Distantlight suddenly realised. "You proved it all to me, that the legend was real, you resolved the story of the Sharenians. Such a wonderful guild..."

Smokywindow was gazing into the sky. "Sunburst," she whispered.

"Yes, I know the name of our guild is Sunburst," Starfieldsky replied.

"No, look. Sunburst." The fire poison mage pointed to the sky.

Then as everyone's gazes followed, Distantlight glimpsed the most amazing, breathtaking sight in his life. Rays of sun shone from behind a white cloud, poring brightly out in all directions, as if heaven were celebrating their success.

Sunburst.

Breathing in, he admired the view, the greeting after a long ordeal and so many brushes with death. He had never seen real sunburst before, till now. And if he recalled rightly, the sky had been _cloudy _before they had started...

"Hey, its' time we went our separate ways again," Crystalriver said, standing. "Thank you for volunteering yourselves; you've been a great guild."

"And you've been a great guild leader," Smokywindow replied. This was met by applause.

"I won't forget any of you. You all played a part in this quest, a quest in which I learnt more than I could from any book. Well, goodbye for now...Sunburst."

Crystalriver walked back towards the main mountain path towards Ellinia, and the others began to leave as well, one by one.

"You see why you've always been different, now," Starfieldsky said to Distantlight as he stood there, not moving, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. "You have always been different, but in a good way. So long."

All had left, Distantlight suddenly noticed. Except him. Only he wanted to stay, close to the heart of his true kingdom.

For a few seconds, he suddenly heard a chorus of voices speaking to him, voices carried on a dimension-crossing wind from the other side. "Let the Sharenians live forever, Distantlight. Let our blood continue to flow," they sang, and Distantlight suddenly felt tears rising in his eyes.

"Yes, I will," he replied, letting them fall. A breeze ruffled his hair, and he took in a deep breath of the mountain air, almost feeling the brush of hands of those who had left the world behind in the wake of darkness, leaving only him, their sole survivor, to keep their nation alive. Maybe, he wasn't really that meaningless and unimportant. He had never felt more important in his life.

Then, standing to head off and continue his training, he felt his blood coursing through his veins, giving him strength. Not the blood of immigrant Southperrrians or even El Nathians as he had always thought, but the powerful, magical blood of the Sharenians.

* * *

Yay, it's finished! I hope you people liked that. THANK YOU FOR READING. Now just drop your very last review as a sign of appreciation. Thanks.


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